One of the finest pre-war classics of all: the BMW 327. This one had come over from England – with a license plate fit for the occasion. (09/2016)

Have age, will travel. An 02 from the USA sports the type of bumpers that bring tears to the eyes of designers. (09/2016)

If only it wasn’t so pricey! The 328 Roadster still goes like a treat. (09/2016)

Starting small. The 3/20 of 1932 was actually the next stage of development along from the 3/15, known to all as “Dixi” (but never actually named as such). (09/2016)

Kids painting a 5 Series. Many of the clubs present dreamt up something special for visitors to the Festival. (09/2016)

Grandpa, grandchildren and an Isetta. The next-generation-but-one tries out a classic BMW for size.(09/2016)

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THE POWER OF LOVE.

THE POWER OF LOVE.

One of the finest pre-war classics of all: the BMW 327. This one had come over from England – with a license plate fit for the occasion. (09/2016)

100 years of BMW. 1,000 BMW classics. The BMW Festival in Munich
celebrated the enjoyment of car driving and motorcycle riding
under the brightest of sunshine. Clubs from every corner of the
world travelled to Bavaria to sing the brand’s praises at the foot
of the Olympic Stadium. Rare classics, meticulously restored
historics and well-preserved models of more recent vintage put on
an extraordinary spread, while famous faces and show acts ensured
the smiles of the crowd grew broader still.

An average BMW 2002. There are finer examples here, some spotless
ones even. But this license plate does rather grab the attention:
Louisiana 2002tii. Ever since Columbus decided to hammer it
home, we’ve all known that a fair amount of water separates the “new
world” (Louisiana et al) from the old. So hauling man and
machine all this way can’t be something one does lightly. But
Louisiana 2002tii is far from the only intrepid
long-distance traveller at this gathering of the stars – plates from
Florida and Texas also catch the eye. Naturally enough, there are also
cars and bikes here from most of Europe, even such exotic-sounding
outposts as Estonia and Moldova. The light that burns in the eyes of
their custodians on these brand occasions is truly international, a
unifying force indeed.

A club as a second home.

Anybody who has looked after and restored an old car will have come
across a brand club at some point in their journey. After all, here
you will find handy assistance and advice in spades, not to mention a
ready supply of new friends. What could be more satisfying than
solving a problem together, then sitting down to chat the day or night
away? It didn’t take BMW long to build up a cult following, and the
brand’s growing community of fans helped it through the dark times.
Today, those enthusiasts are spread over hundreds of clubs around the
world, each a little special in its own right. In China and Australia,
New Zealand and Canada, Germany and its European neighbours, the
spirit of BMW lives on.

Show and shine.

The large show stage, with its multimedia wall, formed the
centrepiece of the festival. Here, the sounds of Bavarian came loud
and proud, backed up by a blast of modern rock here and there. Ulrich
Knieps, Head of BMW Group Classic came together with Maximilian
Schöberl, Head of Corporate Communications at the BMW Group, to
welcome the guests. His personal dream car? The legendary 328 pre-war
sportster. Away from the office, Knieps drives an M Roadster, in
essence a 328 in modern drag. Schöberl winds the clock forward a
little from the 328’s heyday for his particular favourite: the 507.
And then there’s the Isetta, as loveable as ever, here in droves and
even represented in trailer and pick-up form. You’d be hard pushed to
find a smaller pick-up. And you certainly won’t set eyes on a cuter one.

Names to conjure with.

There were plenty of familiar figures at the Festival, all with a
ready story or two about their own experiences with BMW. German actor
and eco-worrier Hannes Jaenicke is a passionate biker and gets out on
the road when he can – in his adopted USA, among other places. On his
GS traffic jams present no significant obstacle, which comes in handy
in L.A. But then again, the GS would also be your bike of choice if
you were planning an expedition from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.

Motorcycle legend Helmut Dähne once set the lap record in the Tourist
Trophy on the Isle of Man, tearing around 60 kilometres of tight and
perilous country roads. Dähne waxed lyrical about the BMW R90S, for
him the finest of all BMW motorcycles.

Famous designer Harm Lagaay, meanwhile, mused over the challenge of
predicting the tastes of the future. As the man behind the Z1, it’s
clear he met that challenge in impressive style. The long line of Z1s
in Munich were testament to the size of the fan club built up by the
sporting roadster over the years.

Legends of the road.

So suddenly BMW had turned 100 years old. Wondrous cars of the
calibre of a BMW 327 Cabriolet and 328 Roadster drew up alongside
legendary icons like the 503 and 507 to mark the milestone. Diminutive
Isettas, 600s and 700s – all of them left a trail of grinning
admirers. Heavy motorcycles from back through the decades made quite
an impression, too. 02s and CSLs, M5s and Tis, if you ever dreamt
about a BMW when you were a kid, here were those heroes now, in the
warm light of a late summer’s day. And here also was the chance to
chat with people who had shared that dream, but also made it come true.

The radiant presence of still youthful-looking BMWs from the 1980s
and 90s underlines the enduring fascination of the brand. One era
merged into another at the BMW Festival, and many of the club members
present own several examples of BMW’s work. Their pride as they told
their stories was almost tangible. Pride in their brand.

The verdict.

It was a truly great festival and there certainly won’t be another
one like it for a while. To Munich they flocked: 33,000 visitors,
2,500 active contributors to the international BMW club scene. The
longest journey was covered by the members of the Vintage Car Club
of America. Sometimes, Sheer Driving Pleasure is best sampled
over a marathon rather than a sprint.

Over to Ulrich Knieps: “What we’ve experienced here is car and
motorcycle history brought to life. No archive, no museum and no
history book could ever do this; only a community without parallel
worldwide, brought together by the boundless passion for sheer
motoring pleasure, could pull it off.”